National Science and Media Museum to undergo £6m transformation

Braford’s National Science and Media Museum will undergo a radical “once-in-a-generation” transformation ready to inspire millions of visitors to Bradford City of Culture in 2025.

Huge changes will be delivered by December 2024, through a £6m capital project called Sound and Vision, including two new galleries, a new passenger lift and improvements to the main entrance.

To facilitate these works, the National Science and Media Museum will close from June 2023 to summer 2024.

The new galleries, accompanied by an activity programme, will showcase key objects and stories from the museum’s collections of photography, film, television, animation, video games and sound technologies. 

Thanks to National Lottery players, the project has been awarded funding from The National Lottery Heritage Fund.

It also has support from the DCMS/Wolfson Museums and Galleries Improvement Fund 2022-24 and Bradford Council. 

The museum also currently runs an IMAX and Pictureville Cinemas. During the closure period Pictureville Cinema and Bar will continue to operate.

Development of the new galleries will transform the heart of the museum, updating core collections displays to increase their relevance to local communities.

·       The development will involve the complete remodelling of two floors of the building, opening up unused spaces and reimagining the display and interpretation of the core collections. 

·       In addition to the new galleries, the project will see the ground floor of the museum reconfigured, creating a new public space and an enhanced visitor welcome. 

·       The installation of an additional passenger lift and the renovation of the existing lift will increase accessibility and enable all visitors to move around the building with ease. 

Existing displays on levels three and five of the museum will gradually be removed from the beginning of February.  

Wonderlab, the Kodak Gallery, Games Lounge and temporary exhibition space will remain open until the summer, with a dynamic public programme culminating in Bradford Science Festival 24 May – 4 June. 

Jo Quinton-Tulloch, the museum’s director, said: “This major investment in the museum will radically transform our visitor offer both in terms of content and accessibility.

“In the new galleries, visitors will be able to find stories that resonate with them, showing how all areas of our collections – from photography to gaming – are embedded in every aspect of our lives, and inspiring the next generation of creatives, inventors and scientists.

“With the additional lift and revamped foyer, we will be able to welcome many more visitors, which will be vital as we approach Bradford’s year as City of Culture in 2025.

“The new permanent displays on levels three and five and the enhanced public space in our new foyer will futureproof Bradford’s national museum for decades to come.” 

Anne Jenkins, executive director of business delivery at The National Lottery Heritage Fund, added: “We are happy to be supporting the National Science and Media Museum to develop their ambitious plans to transform their site and make this national and local treasure one of the star attractions for City of Culture 2025.”